Cemetery vandals charged

Anthony Yohn, 18, of Duncannon faces a preliminary hearing on March 18 before District Judge Daniel McGuire on charges he vandalized Evergreen and Union cemeteries.

He faces felony charges of criminal trespass, criminal mischief, and institutional vandalism; a misdemeanor charge of corruption of minors; and a summary charge of defiant trespass.

State police allege that sometime between 11 p.m., Jan. 14, and 1:10 a.m., Jan. 15, Yohn persuaded a 17-year-old male to drink alcoholic beverages with him and accompany him to the cemeteries, which are adjacent to one another on a hill above Schoolhouse Apartments.

Charges against the 17-year-old have been filed with juvenile authorities, state police said.

“They then entered into the cemeteries and did intentionally knock over and cause damage to 54 headstones,” according to the state police report, which notes that one of the damaged monuments is protected by an iron fence and is not open to the public.

“These effected headstones were erected to memorialize the dead and are, therefore, venerated objects,” the state police report said.

State police estimate the damage to total more than $20,000.

The vandalism so enraged Duncannon Borough Council that it offered a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the vandalism.

Borough manager Tanuya Matter said on Monday that she is not aware of anyone contacting the borough regarding the reward.

Perry County Crime Stoppers and both cemetery associations also offered rewards.

Wilmer Liddick of the Union Cemetery Association said he understands that state police may have received a tip that led to the arrest, however, he has not been contacted by anyone seeking a reward.